French hunt horse meat fraudsters

Europe's horse meat scandal is spreading, as French consumer safety authorities say companies from Romania, Cyprus and the Netherlands were part of a supply chain that resulted in horse meat being disguised as beef in frozen lasagne sold around the continent.

Europe's horse meat scandal is spreading, as French consumer safety authorities say companies from Romania, Cyprus and the Netherlands were part of a supply chain that resulted in horse meat being disguised as beef in frozen lasagne sold around the continent.

French companies were also part of the supply chain.

France's junior minister for consumer goods, Benoit Hamon, said an initial investigation shows that one of the French companies bought frozen meat from a Cypriot trader, who had received the meat from a Dutch food company. And that Dutch company had received the meat from a Romanian supplier.

Romanian authorities are investigating. Dutch authorities say they are ready to investigate if necessary.

Lasagne meals and burgers suspected of containing horse meat have been pulled from shelves in Britain, Ireland, Sweden and France.